THE JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICAL INSTITUTIONSPancreas Cancer Web

TEN MONTHS SINCE WHIPPLE & CAN

My mom, Helen, started have stomach pain (not too severe). If I remember
correctly, she had back pain prior to the stomach pain (but again, not too
severe). Then all of a sudden she jaundiced. I drove 500 miles to the
hospital where she had been admitted. I could not believe the color of her
skin and eyes. Her urine was very dark. Because my mom had always been a
very social drinker, I just knew her liver was going. But..the doctor told
us she had a collapsed or blocked common bile duct that had caused the
jaundiced color. This was in October 2002. My mom was taken to out-patient
surgery and had a stint placed in her common bile duct. The jaundice
disappeared and all seemed o.k. However, the local surgeon gave my mom a
referral to a Lexington, Kentucky oncology surgeon. I immediately got on the
internet and started research. My heart dropped when I read that jaundice
and common bile duct blockages can be a sign of pancreatic cancer. I was
also very saddened to read that the stint would only last for three months
and would have to be replaced. My anxiety was unbelievable. Like clockwork,
in January 2003 my mom's stint had to be replaced. Then the oncology surgeon
told us that my mom would have to have a surgery called 'Whipple' because she
had a suspicious area in the head of her pancreas. On February 27 2003 my
mom had the surgery, and I am so HAPPY TODAY TO SAY SHE IS DOING VERY WELL.
It has been ten months and no other cancer cells have been identified. All
tests have come back negative. She went through radiation o.k., but she had
to stop chemo because she did not tolerate it very well. I have planned to
take her on a vacation to the mountains in Tennessee the first of June. She
is so excited about the trip. I am so thankful she jaundiced very early and
could have the Whipple surgery. My mom is a nurse and has taken care of so
many others. I had such a hard time seeing her just after the surgery. When
I ask how she is doing, she replied, 'I'm doing o.k. I have some bad days
but the good ones are more plentiful. I look back now at the lost hope I
couldn't find at this time last year. You just never know and should never
lose faith.

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